A national survey of the oral health of school children was designed to be implemented in 1986. A probability sample of approximately 45,000 school-aged children in kindergarten through twelth grade will be selected. Dental exams for coronal caries, fluorosis, periodontal disease and presence of lesions of the oral soft tissues will be conducted during the 1986-87 school year. National and regional estimates of the presence of each disease and comparisons with the 1979-80 survey of children's oral health will be made.